Opportunity knocks for Strauss’s England to prove themselves

Captain Andrew Strauss wants to use England’s tour of Sri Lanka to draw a line under the side’s Test troubles against Pakistan last month.

Despite being ranked No 1 in the world, Strauss’s side were whitewashed 3-0 in the United Arab Emirates and were asked some searching questions about both technique and preparation.

The limited-overs squad successfully turned things around with victories in the ODI and Twenty20 series and now Strauss – one of a handful of Test specialists on the Sri Lanka trip – wants to put things right in the longer format.

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He was one of seven players to head out a week earlier than the main group in a bid to acclimatise to scorching conditions and work on some of the batting problems that had surfaced in the UAE.

With that groundwork done, the tour starts in earnest with today’s warm-up match against the Sri Lanka Board XI.

“One of the real advantages of international cricket is it always gives you the chance to move on,” he said. “The guys in the one-day team will have moved on from the Pakistan Test series pretty quickly and now it’s an opportunity for the Test squad to move on from what happened.

“We’re still very confident in our abilities, still confident that we’ve got as good a side as any in the world and we have the chance to show that in the next two Test matches.

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“This has the potential to be a really good opportunity to take some strides forward in this part of the world and we’re determined to take it.

“In the two warm-up matches before the first Test we really need to hit the ground running and get our methods in place.

“There’s a good buzz about the squad and there’s some momentum from the one-dayers against Pakistan that we need to take out on the pitch.”

England’s frailty against top-quality spin was a problem against Pakistan duo Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman.

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Strauss admits that a period of self-analysis was necessary for the under-performing top order but he has warned that England cannot allow a pre-occupation with spin to cause other problems.

England’s main decision ahead of the Test series is who will replace the axed Eoin Morgan at No 6. Ravi Bopara was the spare batsman in the UAE but he is under pressure from the uncapped Samit Patel, whose left-arm spin makes him a tempting option.

Both could play today as director Andy Flower looks to make his decision, while seamer Steven Finn could also get the opportunity to build on his fine efforts in the one-day side in recent months.